Appliance for pipe smokers



Nov. 8, 1966 w. LAUFER 3,283,764

APPLIANCE FOR PIPE SMOKERS Filed July 28, 1964 l4 INVENTOR F |G 7 William Luufer United States Patent 3,283,764 APPLIANCE FOR PIPE SMOKERS William Laufer, 692 N. Pearl St., Albany, N.Y. Filed July 28, 1964, Ser. No. 385,624 3 Claims. (Cl. 131243) The present invention relates to appliances for pipe smokers, and particularly to a pipe tamper, which may if desired be provided with pipe cleaning means.

The smoking of a tobacco pipe requires a certain amount of tamping of the tobacco not only in order to settle the initial charge, but in order to keep the tobacco burning properly. While this tamping can be carried out with the finger, the heat of the burning tobacco is such that pipe smokers usually prefer to use a tamper that permits of a more comfortable means of accomplishing the result.

Also in the use of a tobacco pipe it is desirable to frequently dispose of the dottie, i.e., the residue which accumulates on the walls and bottom of the pipe bowl, and which may be loosened and removed therefrom.

In view of the foregoing, devices have been made available which serve as aids in the tamping and cleaning of a tobacco pipe. These devices conventionally are provided with a small handle to be grasped to which is attached either a tamping disk, or a scraper, or a pick or a combination thereof.

While these devices are quite useful and popular with pipe smokers, they present a hazard when attempt is made to use same during the driving of an automobile. Thus if the smoker wishes to tamp his pipe while driving his car he finds it necessary to grasp the bowl of the pipe with one hand and operate the tamper with the other. Manifestly he cannot perform this operation and retain his hold on the steering wheel at the same time.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome disadvantages of the aforesaid type.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide novel means for operating pipe cleaner elements which may be associated with the pipe tamper.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of novel means for reinforcing the pipe cleaner means in such a manner as to take the strain off of the point of attachment when the implement is used. In other words, it is an object to provide a more rugged construction, without increasing the size and Weight of the implement.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for hinging the cleaning element or elements to the implement in such a way that they may be extended downwardly for cleaning purposes, or alternately upward when not in use and folded against the remainder of the body of the instrument for storage in the pocket of the user.

In general the construction of an appliance according to the present invention is as follows: there is provided a finger-grip and a tamping disk, and optionally there may be provided a pipe cleaning element or elements. The finger-grip is in the shape of a thimble or ring, having an interior diameter approximating that of a human finger. The purpose of the finger-grip is to provide means for engaging the device with a desirable degree of fiXity to the finger of the hand of the smoker. Otherwise stated the appliance grips the finger so surely and firmly that a certain amount of force is required to remove it. At the same time, in order to engage the instrument for use all that is required is to insert the finger in the thimble or ring portion. Preferably the finger-grip portion has a moderate taper whereby the finger is so to speak, wedged therein.

An appliance according to the present invention can be so proportioned as not only to fit the finger of the smoker, preferably the index finger, but to be capable of 3,283,764 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 effecting the tamping operation by means of one finger of one hand while the pipe is held in that same hand. The smoker thereby is enabled while driving a car to hold and tamp his pipe with one hand, holding the steering wheel with the other hand. Or if simultaneously the pipe is held in the teeth, the hand having the thimble can be removed from the pipe with the implement still gripping the finger and the hand moved to the steering wheel to control the driving, and thereafter when the driving emergency is passed to again immediately use the tamper for the pipe.

Overheating of the thimble portion and the likelihood of burning of the finger of the smoker while using the tamper, is avoided by separating the thimble or ring portion from the tamping disk by means of a narrow neck portion.

When the pipe tamper is further provided with pipe cleaning element or elements such as a scraper or pick, the tamper disk may advantageously be provided with slots the purpose of which will be described. It is desirable as hitherto pointed out that the pipe cleaning element or elements be folded upward into an inoperative position when not in actual use and that they be retained in this position so as to temporarily remain out of the way. This can be accomplished if the element or elements, when folded into the inoperative position, frictionally engage the wall of the ring-like or thimble-like portion with a certain resilience and pressure. To this end the cleaning element may be constructed so as to be sufficiently thin as to bend slightly and elastically and to be so positioned as to come into grazing contact with the Wall of the implement and frictionally engage same.

At the same time, when the cleaning element is made thin, it tends to be less rugged and in addition since it is desirable to keep small the hinge means whereby the element is rotated, the cleaning element or elements are subject to bending and breakage.

This weakness of construction which is common in implements of this type is overcome in accordance with the present invention by the provision of slot or slots in the tamping disk, which slots are positioned to re ceive the cleaning element when the latter is swinging downward into operating position as will clearly hereinafter appear. The receiving slot preferably is located off center of the disk. Where two slots are provided, there being two pipe cleaning elements, the slots preferably should be substantially parallel; the slots in any case may be cut transversely and extend partly through the disk element.

Whereas the invention is pointed out with particularity in the subjoined claims, in order that the invention may be understood and practiced with greater advantage and facility, the following description of a specific embodiment is described, in this having reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an elevation partly in section of an implement according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view partly in section showing one cleaning element in extended and operative position, and the other cleaning element in folded position.

FIG. 4 is an elevation showing the implement according to the preceding figures of drawings, and illustrating another of the cleaning elements extended in transwardly and operative position.

FIG. 5 shows the manner of use of the pick element.

FIG. 6 shows the manner of use of the scraper element.

FIG. 7 shows the manner of use of the tamper using one hand.

Referring now to the figures of drawing, there is provided a tamping disk 10 and a thimble-shaped finger grip member 12, these being interconnected by a relatively 3 narrow neck portion 16. In this embodiment the implement is provided with pipe cleaning elements these being a pick element 14 and a scraper element 20. The pick element essentially consistsof an arm portion 15 and a sharp end portion 13. The scraper element 20 is mounted in like manner on arm 18.

Each pipe cleaning element is hinged so as to rotate with pin 26 as a center, through an arc of about 180 degrees. The arms are retained on the spindle 26 by means of collars 2828 or other conventional means.

The disk is provided with two. slots, slot 24 being adapted and positioned to receive the cleaning element 20 when the latter is rotated downwardly into an operating position, and slot 22 is similarly designed to receive element 14 in like position.

In FIG. 1 the cleaning elements 14 and 20 are illustrated as being in the upright position in which position they make frictional contact with the wall of finger grip member 12.

It will be understood that when the arm 15 of element 14 engages slot 22, this arrangement provides reinforcement, taking the strain partially off of the cleaning element, and also off of the hinge means 2628. This is particularly clearly illustrated in FIG. 5. In FIG. 7 it is demonstrated how the pipe 30 may be held in the hand while at the same time the index finger 32 of the said hand is used to operate the tamper. When so used, pick element 14 and scraper element 20, would be raised or folded back as shown. The snug fit of finger-grip 12 and the moderate taper of internal diameter thereof insures the retention of the implement on the finger as the tamper is 'being raised and lowered with a tamping action, and also in event the hand is removed from the pipe bowl. In other words, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to grip the tamper with the finger and thumb, but the-thumb is free for gripping the pipe.

I claim: a

1. A tobacco pipe implement comprising a finger-engaging member, a tamping disk rigidly affixed to said member in spaced relation thereto, said disk being provided with at least one slot, said implement having hinge means located between said finger-engaging member and said disk and being further provided with at least one elongated pipe cleaning means, pivotally attached by said hinge means to said implement, said pipe cleaning means being adapted to enter said slot when pivoted into operative position, said finger-engaging member being uppermost, and said disk being lowermost, when said implement is held in usual operative position.

2. A tobacco pipe implement comprising a finger-engaging member, a tamping disk mounted in spaced relation thereto, and a neck portion extending between said finger-engaging means and said tamping disk, said tamping disk being provided with at least one slot, said implement having hinge means located at said neck portion and being further provided with at least one elongated pipe cleaning means, said pipe cleaning means being pivotally attached by said hinge means to said neck portion, said pipe cleaning means being free to pivot from an upper inoperative position to a lower operative position, said pipe cleaning means being located within said slot when in said lower position.

3. A tobacco pipe implement comprising a finger-engaging member, a neck portion, and a disk mounted in spaced relation to said finger-engaging portion, said disk being provided with at least one slot, hinge means located at said neck portion, and at least one elongated pipe cleaning means pivotally attached by said hinge means to said neck portion, said pipe cleaning means being adapted to rotate through an arc of at least approximately 180 degrees from an upper inoperative position to a lower operative position, the plane of rotation passing through said slot, said pipe cleaning means being adapted when rotated to said upper position to frictionally engage the wall of said finger-engaging means, said pipe cleaning means having such elasticity that when engaging said wall it exerts sufiicient friction to retain itself in said upper position.

References Cited by the Examiner SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner. 

1. A TOBACCO PIPE IMPLEMENT COMPRISING A FINGER-ENGAGING MEMBER, A TAMPING DISK RIGIDLY AFFIXED TO SAID MEMBER IN SPACED RELATION THERETO, SAID DISK BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE SLOT, SAID IMPLEMENT HAVING HINGE MEANS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID FINGER-ENGAGING MEMBER AND SAID DISK AND BEING FURTHER PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED PIPE CLEANING MEANS, PIVOTALLY ATTACHED BY SAID HINGE MEANS TO SAID IMPLEMENT, SAID PIPE CLEANING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO ENTER SAID SLOT WHEN PIVOTED INTO OPERATIVE POSITION, SAID FINGER-ENGAGING MEMBER BEING UPPERMOST, AND SAID DISK BEIG LOWERMOST, WHEN SAID IMPLEMENT IS HELD IN USUAL OPERATIVE POSITION. 